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February 2007 Kukai

Dear Haiku Friends,

Here are the results for the February 2007 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was "Crocus" and our Free Format subject was "Dreary".

Congratulations to Carol Raisfeld, winner of our Kigo section and to Jacek Margolak, winner of our Free Format section!


The haiku are listed in order of total points received from voters. The numbers reflect the number of voters who gave the haiku either three points, two points, or one point -- followed by the total points for all votes.

Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted.


In the listing below, after each poem the author is listed, and then a three digit code revealing how many 3-point, 2-point, and 1-point points were cast for this poem by the other participating poets.

(214 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes.

February 2007 Results
Kigo Theme:
Crocus
Free Format Theme:
Dreary

First Place -- 29 pts
crocus . . .
the balloon-man returns
to the park

Carol Raisfeld
(1,6,14) = 29 pts

** Like the oblique reference to the e.e. cummings poem.
** e. e. cummings territory. Perhaps it could have stopped at "returns."


Second Place -- 22 pts
first crocus
I make a promise
I can't keep

Tom Painting
(1,5,9) = 22 pts

** The special kind of ku that feels as though anybody could have written it, now that somebody has.


Third Place -- 20 pts
crocus
in grandmother's hand
spring again

Dany Fisher
(1,4,9) = 20 pts

** Nicely understated, even though "again" could be dispensed with.


Fourth Place -- 18 pts
budding crocus ~
the closed door
of my daughter's bedroom

Paul Hodder
(1,2,11) = 18 pts

** A perennial spring theme, deftly handled.

warm breeze
a white crocus
where the snowman was

RaV
(0,2,14) = 18 pts

** a fluid way to show the changing seasons.


Fifth Place -- 17 pts
first crocus . . .
so hard to be
original

Francine Banwarth
(0,4,9) = 17 pts


Sixth Place -- 16 pts
lonely crocus
a hole in the snow
just big enough

-me-
(1,5,3) = 16 pts


Seventh Place -- 15 pts
first crocus
a new spring
to my step

Susan Constable
(2,2,5) = 15 pts

crocus buds —
a neighbor's Christmas lights
still flashing

Dustin Neal
(1,3,6) = 15 pts


Eighth Place -- 14 pts
first crocus...
she leaks
my secret

ed markowski
(2,1,6) = 14 pts

sunny day...
first crocus in the garden
of a late neighbour

Rita Odeh
(1,1,9) = 14 pts

this crocus
like your friendship
still surprises

Beverley George
(0,4,6) = 14 pts


Ninth Place -- 13 pts
my first crocus
bobbing down the street
in a child's hand

Rose Marie Stutts, EdD
(0,3,7) = 13 pts

wild crocus
my finger touches
a saffron moon

Ron Moss
(0,4,5) = 13 pts

onions sprouting
in the pantry —
outside, a crocus

Barbara Snow
(0,5,3) = 13 pts


Tenth Place -- 12 pts
first crocus —
grandpa doesn't remember
his password

Israel López Balan
(0,3,6) = 12 pts

blue crocus . . .
the scented letter
returns unopened

Kathy Lippard Cobb
(0,2,8) = 12 pts

crocus buds
a new life stirring
in her belly

Karen Briggs
(0,2,8) = 12 pts


Eleventh Place -- 10 pts
One single crocus
Solitary survivor
Of a lost garden

Deirdre A. Godwin
(1,2,3) = 10 pts

our first crocus —
the neighbor's child
reaches to pick it

Mary Lee McClure
(1,2,3) = 10 pts


Twelfth Place -- 9 pts
crocus
in the old snow
glacier blue

Beth Powell
(2,0,3) = 9 pts

first crocus
what’s left of a snowdrift
beside the fence

DeVar
(1,1,4) = 9 pts

after her chemo...
the first blade
of a crocus

Joshua O Wikoff
(0,2,5) = 9 pts

crocuses on the snow
I am looking in
your sky-blue eyes

Piotr Mogri
(0,3,3) = 9 pts

** nice! This seemed very spiritual.


Thirteenth Place -- 8 pts
frozen ground
the crocus and i
wait for spring

Judi Honiker
(0,3,2) = 8 pts

first crocus
after recess soggy mittens
dot the playground

Edward
(0,2,4) = 8 pts

red crocus
she slowly removes
her rubber gloves

Petar Tchouhov
(0,1,6) = 8 pts


Fourteenth Place -- 7 pts
a crocus field —
the breeze plucks off one...
blue butterfly

Tom Maretic
(0,2,3) = 7 pts

yellow crocus
the class of children
burst into song

kjs
(0,1,5) = 7 pts

crocus bed:
outside the Buddhist Temple
a street beggar

-- ushi
(0,1,5) = 7 pts

mountain echo
the crocus never
come too soon

Collin Barber
(0,1,5) = 7 pts


Fifteenth Place -- 6 pts
first crocus —
my neighbor's pet pig
is missing

ito
(0,2,2) = 6 pts

dew spills
over the crocus lip
a groundhog's shadow

Pris Campbell
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

nursery crocus…
the half-open hands
of the napping baby

Keiko Izawa
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

in front of
the dryer vent
a sea of purple crocus

Michiko
(0,0,6) = 6 pts


Sixteenth Place -- 5 pts
another birthday —
crocuses in my garden
fade away again

Dorota Pyra
(1,1,0) = 5 pts

foolhardy —
early crocus
braves the snow

Geoff Sanderson
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

first crocus
a starling and I
have it to ourselves

Bill Kenney
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

now at dawn
the snowman becomes water —
white crocuses

Lech Szeglowski
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

starless night —
a white crocus opens
to the dawn

Nancy Smith
(0,0,5) = 5 pts


Seventeenth Place -- 4 pts
Crocus underfoot
I step toward the door
this time goodbye

Harvey Jenkins
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

the clouds break
crocuses fill
with an inner light

max verhart
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

this morning
in spite of the winter
a blue crocus

Jasminka Predojevic
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

victory garden
surrounding the crocus
young dandelions

Bill Hudson
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

morning twilight
saffron waits within
the crocus

Mark Hollingsworth
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

snow
on the crocuses
sunshine

oga
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

first crocus —
the new kid waves
goodbye

Roberta Beary
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

white crocus
in her old flower garden
the first sign

Magdalena Dale
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a crocus
by the back door —
distant thunder

Ami
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

spring equinox
without fanfare —
the crocus

Jeannie Martin
(0,0,4) = 4 pts


Eighteenth Place -- 3 pts
crack
in the parched soil
first crocus

Sjs
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

first sunny day
after weeks of storms
yellow crocus

Bridget Cougar
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

From the wet soil
a bud appear —
the first crocus

miorita
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

in the charred ruins
of an old farmhouse . . .
white crocus flowers

-- Richard Kay
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

first crocus —
being watered by
the neighbour's dog

Pia Sousa
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Purple crocus —
vibrant in her
sterile hospital room

Leslie Montgomery
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

along the river
two lines of light:
croci in bloom

Vasile Moldovan
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Remembrance crocus
granddad planted in his time —
their burst of color

Zhanna P. Rader
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

crocuses bloom —
I stand up searching
for familiar birdsongs

Audrey Downey
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Green crocus tips
Still frozen pond
I finger seed packets

yositaka
(0,0,3) = 3 pts


First Place -- 44 pts
dreary day —
only a gravedigger
whistling

Jacek
(4,8,16) = 44 pts

** Brings a smile, but there's real emotional complexity here.
** Happy and sad; I had to laugh. Well done!


Second Place -- 26 pts
dreary day . . .
he tells me all of it
again

Francine Banwarth
(3,1,15) = 26 pts

** One breath? More like one sigh.


Third Place -- 19 pts
dreary morning...
the taste and texture
of powdered eggs

ed markowski
(2,4,5) = 19 pts


Fourth Place -- 17 pts
dreary sunday
two magpies squabble
over a chip

Polona
(1,3,8) = 17 pts


Fifth Place -- 13 pts
dreary day
another phone call
offering condolences

Bill Hudson
(1,0,10) = 13 pts

** "another" says it all.

thick fog
the same
old news

Susan Constable
(0,4,5) = 13 pts

dreary morning —
I pull on the same socks
I wore yesterday

DeVar
(0,3,7) = 13 pts

dreary faces —
she plays the violin
in the subway

Jordi Climent
(0,1,11) = 13 pts


Sixth Place -- 12 pts
dreary day —
the rain gurgles
in the gutters

Angèle Lux
(0,2,8) = 12 pts


Seventh Place -- 11 pts
dreary day ~
the secrets
we keep

Paul Hodder
(1,2,4) = 11 pts

dreary alcove
between sips mother asks
my weight

Roberta Beary
(1,0,8) = 11 pts


Eighth Place -- 10 pts
the buzz of
florescent lights
deep winter

Michael Baribeau
(1,2,3) = 10 pts

dreary skies . . .
migrating geese struggle
to keep formation

Marie Summers
(0,2,6) = 10 pts


Ninth Place -- 9 pts
dreary winter morning
again the wail
of an ambulance

brephoenix
(1,1,4) = 9 pts

dreary light —
the withered bean plants
cling to their poles

max verhart
(0,2,5) = 9 pts

dreary day —
a second coat
of lip balm

Collin Barber
(0,1,7) = 9 pts

dreary weather —
the corner gargoyle's mouth
drips rainwater

Zhanna P. Rader
(0,1,7) = 9 pts

dreary day
I search for colour
in garden books

Beth Powell
(0,1,7) = 9 pts

dreary high tea —
a fly's long walk
over the host's cake

Ana Cadarin
(0,1,7) = 9 pts


Tenth Place -- 8 pts
how dreary!
these tiny bones
never left the nest

Joshua O Wikoff
(1,2,1) = 8 pts

** This one hit me in the gut-so sad!
** Well said!

dreary day —
he draws a stringless kite
on the room wall

Rita Odeh
(1,0,5) = 8 pts

dreary night
I look at the space
where the stars were

kjs
(0,1,6) = 8 pts


Eleventh Place -- 7 pts
dreary weather
no customers
at the car wash

Meredith Stern Cavalieri
(0,2,3) = 7 pts

so dreary
but listen!
a bird sings

miriam chaikin
(0,2,3) = 7 pts

dreary night
I google her name
for a hit

Tom Painting
(0,1,5) = 7 pts

** So modern, yet so common a moment!

dreary day —
their fight in the morning
still with them at dinner

Leslie Montgomery
(0,1,5) = 7 pts

dreary morning
the imprint on her pillow
already cool

RaV
(0,1,5) = 7 pts


Twelfth Place -- 6 pts
Look! A hummingbird
Sipping spring from the feeder
Dreary thoughts are gone

Deirdre A. Godwin
(1,1,1) = 6 pts

dreary thoughts
hot humid night in bed
trying to sleep

Michael Flack
(1,1,1) = 6 pts

dreary day
the meter man fumbles
for his flashlight

Earl Keener
(1,0,3) = 6 pts

dreary day —
an egret spreads its wings
to land

Ami
(1,0,3) = 6 pts

three nuns,
almost invisible...
dreary dreary day

Pris Campbell
(0,2,2) = 6 pts

dreary forecast —
stretched to the limit
a worm

George Hawkins
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

dreary day —
the empty coffee cup
still smells

Israel López Balan
(0,1,4) = 6 pts


Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts
Dreary clouds
my only blanket shrunk
with the last rain.

Harvey Jenkins
(1,0,2) = 5 pts

return after years
stairs of the old house
run to nowhere

Dorota Pyra
(1,0,2) = 5 pts

damp wool smell
in from the drizzle
fireplace cold

Ruth Powell
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

dreary morning
the cat peers out
thru runnels of rain

susan delphine delaney
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

dreary
all those ads for Viagra
in my email

Sue Stanford
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

dismal month —
now the shiki kukai
wants a dreary haiku

Jim Swift
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

** What a perfect irony!

February dawn —
dreary, bare branches moving
in a cold wind

P.O. Williams
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

chair by the window
a lamp on for reading
in afternoon light

Charles Hansmann
(0,0,5) = 5 pts

winter's long goodbye —
the dreariness
of freezing rain

Mike Montreuil
(0,0,5) = 5 pts

dreary day —
icicles melting
drip, drip, drip

Tristan Coleridge
(0,0,5) = 5 pts


Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts
dreary sky…
in kannon’s open arms
a still pigeon

Keiko Izawa
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

constant drizzle
at noon sparrows and wind chimes
still silent

Edward
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

life
so colourful and joyous
what is dreary

Pia Sosua
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

dreary morning —
the old women sings
her last hymn

Dustin Neal
(0,2,0) = 4 pts

dreary day
another planeload of bodies
home from the war

Karen Briggs
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

** Oh, yes...

dreary park
at the statue of Venus
two snails making love

Ginka Biliarska
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

dreary day
the snow fox’s shadow
grows fainter

martin
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Between this and that
shadow and dust
dreary road

Ashi
(0,0,4) = 4 pts

this winter
a fresh new meaning
for dreary

Mary Lee McClure
(0,0,4) = 4 pts


Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts
dreary sky —
birds in the tree form
a leafy pattern

ito
(1,0,0) = 3 pts

dreary morn
unclear thoughts
too cold to think

Dr. Wm Fraenkel
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

blackish snow shrinks
off beer cans and wrappers
dreary clouds

gourdman
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

dreary
my husbands disposition
after doing the taxes

carmel lively westerman
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

fourth of July
unpacking the
muddy tent

Barbara Snow
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

on the highway
only the car's looming shadow —
Death Valley

Lech Szeglowski
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

midnight dreary —
clocks strike twelve
for hours

Anil Engin
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dark and dreary . . .
the filthy child draws
a sunny day

Kathy Lippard Cobb
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary afternoon —
turkeys wandering
in a village playground

Tom Maretic
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary street
tinfoiled windows
blind to spring

Terry Ingram
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

another day
gray skies gray walls gray desk
colorless life

DJ
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary sky —
from the yellow foliage
rain of light

Corneliu Traian Atanasiu
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary afternoon
yesterday's snow
without a sparkle

Sandra Nickel
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary night
cloud shadows
swallow the moon

soji
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

dreary summer day
the ice cream van's jingle
in the distance

Lynne Rees
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

candle-lit skin —
she laughs
at how dreary her day was

aom (tim)
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Thank you all for participating in the Shiki Monthly Kukai. We will open the March kukai to submissions on Monday, March 5th. See you then!

With much appreciation,

Robert and Jennie, co-secretaries
Gary Warner, web host

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